The Quest
by CatKkit
Summary: Millie is an apprentice of the great Aquila. For hundreds of years, she has studied and trained under his watchful gaze. On the day of the Fygg Bloom, disaster strikes and Millie is brought down to earth. Now she must fight her way back to her home while discovering what really took her away in the first place.
1. Chapter 1

**New story!**

**Yay!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Millie sighed as she sat at the stairs. She could hear her Master, speaking with Apus Major on the platform behind her. They had been at it for a while.

"You look bored," a soft voice said. Millie looked up, seeing Columba walking towards her. She looked like she had just come from the library, arms laden with books.

"Master is just taking a little while, that's all," Millie said, standing and taking a few of the books from her.

"He tends to yap when it come the Apus Major," Columba said with a smirk. "He's a bit like an old lady in that sense."

"That's okay," Millie said with a smile. "I can just wait here."

"How about you come help me take some of these books to the commons? A few of the others need them to teach their apprentices," Columba said, handing a few more books to Millie so they both shared the load. "I'm sure your Master won't mind," she said as they walked away from the platform.

"Millie? Where do you think you're going?" Aquila asked, looking at them from the steps.

"She was bored of waiting for you to finish your gossip, Aquila, so I decided to give her something to do," Columba said. "Come on, Millie." The blonde apprentice continued to follow Columba.

"Oh, no you don't," Aquila said, flying in front of them, forcing them to stop. "She needs to go to Yggdrasil and offer up the benevolessence that she collected today."

"First, she's helping me. Next time, you shouldn't stand around with Apus Major, cooing like pigeons." Columba said, brushing past him. Millie followed her, shooting her master an apologetic and amused look.

"I'll do it the second I'm done," she whispered as she followed the book-keeper upstairs.

"You need to stop losing your apprentice," Apus Major said as he walked slowly up to Aquila.

"Those two are the reason that I'm bald," Aquila muttered, running a hand over his head.

…

"Thanks for the help," Columba said as she set the books down on a table. Immediately, a tall, muscle bound Celestrian came and began to look through the stack of books.

"I just hope Master doesn't get too mad at me," Millie muttered.

"If that bald-head oldie gives you a problem, just tell me," the dark Celestrian said, flashing her a smile.

"Or me, if you don't want the wonderful Phoenix to murder him," Columba said, giving him a hard look. "Shouldn't you be with your student?"

"He's off doing something," Phoenix said with a shake of his head. "Probably showing off for the ladies."

"Or, you know, he could be hiding from you again," Columba mumbled. "You scare that poor boy."

"He just needs a little tough love in order for him to gain his confidence," Phoenix said. "If, by any chance, either of you happen to see him, tell me."

"Yes sir," Millie said as Phoenix took the books he needed and flew off. She looked at Columba. "I'm not going to tell him, if that's alright with you."

"Of course it is," Columba said, stacking her books. "See if you can find the poor thing when you go and offer up the benevolessence."

"Alright," Millie said, hurrying off. She flew slowly along the path to Yggdrasil instead of flying straight up, as one normally would. Phoenix's apprentice would be hiding somewhere in the trees of the Observatory. Surely enough, up a very out of place palm tree, was the apprentice.

"Hello, Ankaa!" Millie called up.

"Argh!" Ankaa shouted as he fell from the tree, hitting the ground. He was a very pale, freckly boy with flaming hair. His arms were thin, unlike his master's, and he looked like rouge wind would blow him right off the Observatory.

"Why are you up a palm tree?" she asked, fluttering around him.

"I'm hiding," he muttered into the dirt.

"Get up, silly! You have training to do!" Millie said, pulling at his clothes and hair to try and get him up.

"Oh, what's the point? Master will just yell at me," Ankaa said, waving her off.

"No he won't," Millie said. "If he does, just go to Mistress Columba."

Ankaa moaned something incoherently into the dirt.

"How about you come with me to give some benevolessence up to Yggdrasil?" Millie asked. Ankaa perked up immediately. Phoenix was a crazy master, who pushed his apprentice when it came to physical and mental training, but he had yet to allow his apprentice into the Protectorate. Because of that, Ankaa never got to give benevolessence to Yggdrasil.

"That'd be awesome!" he said, jumping up and flying around Millie, showering her with feathers and dirt.

"Calm down. You have to promise to go back to Master Phoenix and work on more stuff with him. I heard he has a new lecture about mortals for you," Millie said.

"Not _another_ lecture," Ankaa groaned. Millie gave him a hard look. "Fine."

The two fluttered straight up, towards Yggdrasil.

"That sure took you a while," Aquila said. He was standing there, at the foot of Yggdrasil, with Apus Major...

And Phoenix.

"Oh. H-hey, Master," Ankaa said nervously. He shot Millie an angry look, and she shrugged helplessly. She had no idea that he'd be waiting up there for them.

"Ankaa decided to come with me so he could see the benevolessence being offered up," Millie said.

"That's too bad," Phoenix said, his red eyes narrowed. "Ankaa is going to come with me. We have lots of training to catch up on. And he has a lecture to listen to." Ankaa looked down with a quiet sigh.

"But-," Millie started to say, only to be silenced by a stern look from Aquila.

"That will be enough, Millie."

She gave a tiny wave to Ankaa, who was quickly shepherded off by Phoenix.

"Go on now, child," Apus Major said, nodding towards the Great World Tree. Millie approached the enormous tree with reverence, bowing before lifting the light blue crystal of energy. It floated up, as if it were above a heat vent. It stopped at the center of the trunk, where it vanished in a pulse of light.

Millie was about to turn away when the tree was enveloped in a bright light.

"Woah," she breathed.

"Oh ho!" Apus Major hooted, watching as the glow faded. "She's closer than she's ever been! Almost ready for the fyggbloom!"

"Yes, indeed," Aquila said before turning to Millie. "Well met, Millie."

"Thank you, Master," Millie said with a tiny bow. She seemed a little jumpy with excitement.

"If you wouldn't mind, Aquila, I'd like to speak with Millie in private," Apus Major said.

"Of course, Master," Aquila said, giving Millie a meaningful look, as if he expected her to do something embarrassing. She shrugged and waved as he left. She looked at Apus Major expectantly, but he was staring at the Great Tree, deep in thought.

"What do you think of that?" Apus Major asked eventually.

"I believe that it is an important sign, promising the fyggbloom," Millie said automatically.

"Yes, yes indeed," Apus Major said, still musing while gazing at the Tree. "How do you feel about it, though?"

"I feel proud that the benevolessence that I gathered helped move the Great Tree onward to this momentous moment," Millie said.

"I have a feeling that it will be you, and your efforts, that hail the salvation for us Celestrains," he said, finally looking. Droopy black eyes met sharp yellow ones.

"Really?" Millie asked, slightly taken by the sudden turn in the conversation. "But I'm practically the youngest one here."

"It is just a feeling of mine, Millie," Apus Major said. "I may just be getting senile," he said with a laugh.

"If you are getting senile, then Master Aquila won't be that far behind you," Millie smiled.

"I wouldn't tell him that," Apus Major chuckled. "He's still struggling with the fact that I have more hair than him." Millie gave him a wide smile.

"Is there anything else you needed?" she asked.

"No, that was all," Apus Major said. He glanced around, and then leaned in and whispered, "I think Ankaa is waiting for you somewhere. He probably slipped away from Master Phoenix again. Perhaps you could go spend a little time with him to help bolster his confidence."

"Of course, Master," she whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because that is what one does when telling secrets," Apus Major whispered back. He straightened up. "You can go now."

"Thank you, Master," she said, bowing quickly before running down the steps and taking to the air, heading right back to the spot where Ankaa had hidden earlier.

He felt himself smile, watching Millie fly away. When Celestrians are young, they are placed under Apus Major's care. He trains and teaches them all the basics, like how to read and fly. Then, once they had all the basic skills down, the had an apprenticeship ceremony, where a conference would be held and a Master would speak if they wanted to take that particular child under their wing, both literally and figuratively.

Apus Major smiled again when he remember the ceremony for Millie. She was so quiet and small at the time that no one seemed to believe that she was really ready for an apprenticeship. She certainly didn't look like much. Even Ankaa had looked stronger at that age. Apus Major knew what Millie could do. What he didn't know, though, was that Aquila had noticed, too. He remembered the massive ripple of surprise when Aquila spoke for Millie. Even Columba, his best friend, was caught off guard. But they became a wonderful pair, and Millie simply blossomed.

And Apus Major couldn't have been happier.

...

"Hello again, Ankaa! May I join you?" Millie called up. She had just left Apus Major, and easily found her red-headed friend, hiding up the same palm tree.

"Are you going to bring Master Phoenix down on me again?" Ankaa asked dejectedly from the tree.

"I didn't know he was going to be up there!" Millie said. She heard him sigh.

"You can come up," Ankaa said. Millie smiled and flew up, settling next to him on the massive leaves.

"How is it going?" she asked.

"Fine," Ankaa said, not really looking at her.

"Wanna hear something cool that happened?" Millie asked. Ankaa nodded sullenly. She quickly recounted her tale of Yggdrasil being lit up like a Christmas tree. Ankaa's eyes slowly grew wider and wider as the story went on.

"That's incredible!" he said once it was finished. "Want to hear some good news that I got today?"

"Ooooh! Yes!" Millie said excitedly. Ankaa looked happy to share, which was a rare event.

"Master Phoenix is temporarily taking over for Master Vultur in this place called Gleeba!" Ankaa said. "And do you want to know what the best part is?"

"What? Tell me?"

"He said that, since Gleeba isn't as dangerous, I can go with him!" Ankaa said.

"That is amazing! You'll finally get to go to the Protectorate!" Millie said, grinning at him. She jumped slightly, and began to plunge into story after story, telling Ankaa about her own village, and how she helped people, and returned lost belongings. She talked about all the fights that she and Aquila won to protect their flock. Ankaa kept interjecting excitedly, saying what he hoped that he and Master Phoenix could be able to do while watching over Gleeba.

Hours ran past, and before they knew it, the sun was sinking below the cloud line.

"Ankaa! Millie!" a voice shouted from down below. It was Olivia, Columba's apprentice. She was a short girl with light blue pig-tails.

"Hey Olivia!" Millie greeted as she and Ankaa came down from the tree.

"Your masters are looking for you," Olivia said. "Master Phoenix is at the foot of Yggdrasil and Master Aquila is on the bottom floor. I suggest you hurry." Ankaa and Millie shared a look and shot down the side of the Observatory, shouting their thanks over their shoulders.

"See you later, Millie!" Ankaa shouted as he turned clumsily and flew to Yggdrasil.

"Bye!" Millie yelled back as she sped into the bottom floor of the Observatory, landing in front of Aquila.

"Ah. There you are, Millie."

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**

**Hope you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**New Chapter!**

**Yay!**

* * *

Millie fluttered quickly down, hovering above the beautiful Angel Falls waterfall. She could see people milling around, crossing the bridge, chatting, and generally enjoying the evening, where it was just cooling down as the sun dipped behind the clouds.

"I don't believe it!" a male voice shouted. "No one else noticed that the name of the guardian changed?"

"You're crazy!" another voice replied. Millie floated over to them. It was Ivor and Hugo, two young boys of the village. Appearance wise, they could be the same age as Millie. In reality, she had a good 300 or so years on them.

"It used to say 'Aqui-' something, but now it says 'Millie'. Is someone messing with me?" Ivor asked, yelling at poor Hugo. It wasn't that Hugo particularly liked Ivor, but he was the only other boy his age.

"No. No one is messing with you," Hugo said, trying to reassure him. "It's always been Millie, for as long as anyone can remember."

"Do you remember reading it before?" Ivor asked.

"Um... Well, now that you mention it... No. I can't," Hugo said, looking a little puzzled.

"You see? It's only just changed, yet everyone thinks that it's always been 'Millie'," Ivor said. "I told you so!"

"It must be the work of the Guardian," Hugo said with an understanding nod. "Maybe a change of command to a new Guardian. Whatever it is, we should be thankful of them." Millie felt her heart swell with happiness at Hugo's words. He was such a good kid.

"Guardian's are just a load of made up rubbish," Ivor dismissed with a shake of his head. "The only one who believes that is Erinn, and she's just a dumb...brunette!"

"Erinn has purple hair," Hugo pointed out.

"I don't really care! She's always going on about it!" Ivor launched into a rant about Erinn. Millie watched with a smile. Erinn was a sweet girl. If she could ever meet a human, she would want to meet Erinn.

"It's always about Erinn with you!" Hugo exclaimed. "Erinn this and Erinn that. Maybe you should just tell her that you love her already!"

"Shut up!" Ivor shouted, slapping Hugo over the head. Millie decided that she had watched for long enough and drifted away, heading past the market shop and along a path.

"Woof woof!" Millie turned to see an adorable dog running up to her. Millie loved dogs, mainly because they could see her. This one was named Sixes, and liked greeting Millie with lots of kisses. The townsfolk thought that the dog was crazy since he licked the air.

"Hello Sixes!" Millie whispered as the dog began to lick her hand. He trotted away from her, and into a clearing of flowers. He began to dig at something. "What is it, boy?"

"Arf!" Sixes said, sniffing the ground. Millie reached past him and picked up a small, shiny object: a ring.

"Whose is this, Sixes?" she asked, examining the ring. It looked fairly nice, as if it had only been on the ground for a short while. Whoever owned the ring would probably be looking for it.

"Woof woof!" Sixes licked Millie a few more times before running off, to his owner, who was yelling at him. Millie held the ring in her hand and drifted further through the town. She slipped in through the open door of the quaint little church, finding an elderly woman hunched in the front pew, praying and whispering.

"Oh, dear dead husband, I'm so sorry I lost it..." The woman was rubbing her finger and, upon closer inspection, Millie could see the tan line of a missing ring that the woman must have worn for years and years. Millie carefully dropped the ring into the ladies apron pocket, causing her to jump.

"Oh, what is this? It's my keepsake ring! Oh, my dear dead husband, it has been returned to me!" She looked around excitedly, her tired eyes sparked with happiness and excitement. "This must be the work of darling Millie! Oh, thank you so much!"

Smiling broadly, the woman was enveloped in a soft blue light, which condensed and balled up in front of Millie. Now, it was Millie's turn to grin as she held a crystal of benevolessence in her hands.

Once she had safely secured the precious energy, Millie left the church and went to check on Mr. Seljak, the farmer. His brown horse, Cabalo, was outside, grazing on the sparse grass. Millie entered the barn, only to find the farmer asleep on a pile of hay. He was muttering something about cleaning.

And then Millie noticed the overpowering smell of horse manure.

She looked at the poor old man, and then at the shovel that was leaned against a barrel. With a sigh, she drifted over and picked up the shovel, tossing six clumps of the poop into the appropriate bin. She popped the poop-covered shovel back on the barrel and turned to leave, only to knock the tool to the ground, causing what was possibly the loudest noise in the world.

Mr. Seljak jumped to his feet with a shout, narrowly missing the invisible Guardian who was ever so close to him. He took a double take at the horse pen in front of him.

"I don't believe it! I was just about to get cleaning, but then I dozed off..." his voice left off before he gave another jump. "Ah! The Guardian must have been helping me out while I rested!"

Millie smiled at his words, sensing the benevolessence that was gathering inside of him.

"Thank you, Millie! I promise you that I'll work a lot harder from now on! I'll have me another horse in no time!" he said with great conviction.

_I'll remember that,_ Millie thought with a smile as she left again. She was about to head into the inn when she caught sight of someone on the bridge.

"Master Aquila?" she asked out loud, flying over to him.

"Hello, Millie. I see that you are doing well in your new job," Aquila said.

"Yes, Master," Millie said monotonously. Aquila noticed a small frown on her face.

"Don't worry. I'm not here because I think you aren't able to fulfill your role. I no longer protect this area. Now, I patrol the entire Protectorate to keep it safe, which means coming back to Angel Falls from time to time," he explained.

"So why are you here, Master?" Millie asked after a pause.

"There is something I must teach you," Aquila said. "It's about-," he stopped, noticing Millie's shocked face. "What?"

"Did you forget to teach me something?" Millie asked. "Something that is so important that you would leave the Observatory in order to find me and teach me it while I'm busy with my first role as a Guardian?"

"Yes, I did forget," Aquila said. "And I'd appreciate it if you would never, ever use that kind of tone with me again. Let us not forget who is the superior here."

"Yes, Master," Millie said, ducking her head. "What is it that you wanted to teach me?"

"You are now in charge of a mortal flock. That doesn't mean just taking care of the living," Aquila said. Millie gave him a slightly puzzled look. "There are some whose souls still wander this realm. They need help moving on. You can actually hear one right now." They listened hard and, surely enough, a man's shouting could be heard.

"Who is that?" Millie asked.

"One of your flock who has passed," Aquila said. "Now, go to him and help him move on." Millie looked at him and flew cautiously over to the other side of town, where an enormous man surrounded by blue light was. He looked a blacksmith with a very frighting mask on.

"Hello?" Millie said with caution. The man spun around so fast he nearly hit her.

"Finally! Someone who is willing to talk to me!" the man exclaimed. "Listen, do you know why everyone is ignoring me?" He stopped himself suddenly and gave Millie a hard stare-down.

"Is something the matter?" Millie asked.

"Wait one second! You're a bloody Celestrian, aren't you!" he shouted. Millie nodded. He had an absolutely stunned look on his face. "So... I'm dead?"

"Yeah," Millie said, feeling a little awkward. "I'm sorry that you're dead, but it happens to everyone, you know?"

"Thanks for being honest with me," he said with a heavy sigh. He looked down at his hands, as if noticing their blue transparency for the first time. "I was wondering why everyone was ignoring me."

"You're taking this quite well," Millie said with a smile.

"I was going to do it myself anyway," the man admitted. "Well, now I know what's what. I can go 'rest in peace' now, I guess." The glow of his transparent skin intensified as he began to float in the air. His form faded away completely, leaving a crystal of benevolessence in its wake.

"That was easy," Millie said as she heard her master approach her.

"It is a vitally important lesson," Aquila said. "You must remember it. Thanks to your help, a human soul is now at rest."

"Yes Master," Millie murmured.

"Benevolessence from a departed souls shine more brightly than any other. Remember that also," Aquila said. Millie nodded. "I take it that you will be returning to the Observatory, right?"

"Yes. I need to offer up the benevolessence as soon as possible," Millie said. "If that is alright with you, Master," she added.

"Of course. I will leave you to that. I need to go patrol more of the Protectorate-." He cut off at the sound of a loud whistle. Streaking across the sky, high above their heads, was the magnificent Starflight Express. They watched it until it vanished behind a thick bunch of clouds.

"The Starflight Express has been very active as of late," Aquila commented quietly. He turned to Millie. "I've changed my mind. I'll come with you after all."

And with that, the two Celestrians took to the sky.

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**


	3. Chapter 3

**New Chapter!**

**Chapter 3!**

**Yeah!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I must go speak with Apus Major about matters of utmost importance. Please excuse me," Aquila said, once they had re-entered the Observatory.

"Alright, Master," Millie said, even though he had already walked away. With a shrug, she walked towards the library, where she assumed Ankaa would be. Surely enough, her freckly friend was sitting at one of the tables with an enormous tome out in front of him.

"Millie!" he shouted when he saw his friend.

"Hey, Ankaa!" she greeted, wincing at his loud voice. "I just got back from the Protectorate."

"Me too!" Ankaa declared excitedly. "Master Phoenix finally let me go!"

"Really? That's amazing!" Millie exclaimed as she took a seat across from him. "Where did you go?"

"We went to Gleeba! It's an enormous palace in the desert!" Ankaa said.

"Isn't that where the old king lives?" Millie inquired.

"Yes, but he died, and Master Phoenix said that _I _could help his ghost move on!" Ankaa said with pride.

"Really? How did that go?" Millie asked.

"Not so well," Ankaa admitted. "He'll only move on if his daughter turns out to be a good ruler."

"And does that seem likely?" she asked. She noticed the expression on Ankaa's face. "I'll take that as a no."

"You're right," Ankaa muttered with a heavy sigh. "Mortals are so mean and selfish. I'm glad that I'm not stuck in the Protectorate with them."

"Not all of them are like that," Millie pointed out, her thoughts flashing to Erinn. "Besides, they are part of your flock now. You must protect them."

"I know," Ankaa muttered. They fell into a light silence.

"Did you get any benevolessence?" Millie inquired eventually.

"No," Ankaa said with a tiny hint of regret. "We just fought a bunch of really strong monsters."

"Really?" Millie asked. "The only thing that ever attacks my flock are weak monsters, like cruelcumbers and slimes."

"Well, Master Phoenix and I had to protect the city from what seemed like an invasion," Ankaa said.

"What monsters were there?" Millie inquired, getting excited.

"Mummies and axolhotls mainly," Ankaa said. Millie nodded as she recognized the names.

"That's amazing," she murmured.

"Yeah, and at the end, we had to fight a giant gold golem," Ankaa said. Millie felt a slight pang of envy towards her friend, but quickly pushed it aside.

"Wow," was all she said. She had only read about monsters like that in books.

"I know," Ankaa agreed. He was about to say more when the door behind them swung open, revealing Master Phoenix.

"Hello Millie, Ankaa," he said, looking down at the two apprentices.

"Hello, Master Phoenix," Millie greeted with a smile. "Ankaa was just telling me about his first day in the Protectorate."

"Really?" Phoenix inquired, giving his apprentice a hard look.

"Oh, yes," Millie said. "He told me how he helped you protect the city of Gleeba."

"Did he now?" Phoenix continued to give Ankaa the same look.

"Yes. He also said that he helped take down a gold golem," Millie said sweetly. "That's very impressive."

Master Phoenix continued to look at Ankaa before he did something that caught Millie entirely off guard.

He smiled.

"Great job, Ankaa," Phoenix said, giving his apprentice a hard thump on the back. "You're already improving by leaps and bounds."

"Thank you, Master," Ankaa said. He didn't seem as surprised by the praise. Millie, on the other hand, was absolutely flabbergasted.

"Did you tell her who actually took down the golem?" Phoenix prompted. Ankaa shook his head, looking a little embarrassed. Phoenix scoffed before turning back to Millie. "Ankaa did it, all on his own. I didn't even know it was there until he had already killed it."

"That is very impressive," Millie said.

"It's nothing really," Ankaa mumbled. Phoenix gave him a shocked look.

"'Nothing really'? No, Ankaa, that is very impressive," Phoenix said. "Remember that."

"Yes, Master Phoenix," Ankaa said, sounding a little more pleased now.

"Good," Phoenix said. "Now Ankaa, you and I will be returning to Gleeba with all due haste."

"Already?" Millie asked. That was quite a small amount of rest time between patrols.

"Of course. I want to see what else Ankaa is capable of," Phoenix said. "If he keeps improving as he is now, he could become the Guardian of Gleeba soon."

"Bye Millie," Ankaa said. He now had a broad smile on his face. "I'll see you when we come back."

"Goodbye, Ankaa," Millie said as her friend vanished out the door. He was much happier with Master Phoenix. She had seen mortals act like that. Father and son.

Millie felt another slight twinge of jealousy. Almost all mentors and apprentices turned out that way. Columba and Olivia always spent time together. Cygnus always spent time with her old apprentice Deneb, and Deneb's apprentice Albireo. It was like they were all little families.

Except for Millie and Aquila. She was always left on her own while he went to talk to Apus Major. Always talk talk talk. And Millie never heard any of it. She just waited for Aquila to return. It was fine, since she could talk to Ankaa, but now it looked like he was going to be gone a lot.

Millie again pushed those emotions away. They didn't matter much anyway.

She got up from the table and walked quickly out of the library. She really shouldn't have spent so much time talking to Ankaa when she should have been making a report to Apus Major.

Once she got to the platform, she realized that it didn't matter either.

"Where is Apus Major?" Millie asked one to the guards.

"He left with Master Aquila a while ago," the guard informed. Millie sighed. More talking. "They were speaking of the celestial carriage."

"Do you know where they went?" Millie asked.

"They looked like they were heading to Yggdrasil," he said, pointing towards the doors.

"Thank you," Millie said, flying out. They had probably been waiting for her, and Millie hated to keep people waiting. She could see many other Celestrians standing outside, all looking up at the Great Tree. They smiled when they say Millie. Columba and Olivia waved to her. She landed near the top of the Observatory.

"To think that the benevolessence that I have worked so hard to gather would help lead to this," a Celestrian said.

"The fyggbloom is almost upon us," another one said wistfully. He turned to Millie and smiled. "Go on, Guardian of Angel Falls."

Millie turned away and walked up to the final tier where Yggdrasil stood, proud and tall. Apus Major and Aquila were there, staring up at the tree silently. She stopped next to them and they turned to look at her.

"Well met, Millie," Aquila said. "You have chosen a monuments moment to join us." He turned back to the tree. "Behold! She is almost ready to burst forth into bloom with the benevolessence that we have offered up to Her." Millie looked up. Yggdrasil began to glimmer, as if in anticipation of the benevolessence that Millie had with her.

"Oh ho ho," Apus Major chuckled. "She's so close to bearing fruit!" He sounded both happy and tearful at the same time. Happy to finally reach salvation, but a little sad to leave what had been his home for over a thousand years. He let out a content sigh and began to quietly recite, "'Fyggbloom hails the opening of the Heavenly Gates, and sets the Celestrians on the path to salvation...'"

"'And lo, it shall be in the celestial carriage that we, the chosen custodians, journey unto the Realm of the Almighty," Aquila finished. Millie shivered as she recalled that prophecy, that promise, that was ingrained into the minds of all Celestrians. Aquila spoke without turning her. "Go now, Millie. Offer the benevolessence that you have up to the mighty Yggdrasil. Do so, and she will surely bear fruit at long last."

"Yes Master," Millie said, a little hoarsely. She was numb from the realization that it was now that they would reach salvation. She couldn't help but feel a little sad for Ankaa, who had only spent one whole day in the Protectorate.

She would also miss her flock, especially Erinn.

Millie approached the tree and brought out the crystals. They floated out of her hands and up into the center of the tree. She gasped as heavy golden fruit appeared on several of the branches. She counted at least seven.

"The fyggbloom!" Apus Major exclaimed.

Millie took a step back and saw what looked like a golden comet streak across the sky. It turned sharply and approached the Observatory, slowing down as it did so.

"And the celestial chariot appears..." Aquila murmured. Now that it was closer and moving slower, Millie could make out the shape of a train. It was glowing brightly, its whistle blowing happily as it announced its arrival.

"Praise be! All is as it was foretold!" Apus Major said, his finger following the celestial carriage as it came around and slowed to a stop. Millie stared at it in awe, excitement and joy suddenly bubbling up inside of her. Aquila seemed completely speechless, his mouth agape. Suddenly, he frowned.

Boom!

A massive jet of pink light shot up from the Protectorate. The three Celestrians were knocked off their feet by the intense rumbling and wind that seemed to come out of nowhere. The beam hit the first car of the golden train so hard that the rest came undone, falling down to earth. Celestrians from around the Observatory watched them go, stunned as the last bright sparks disappeared beneath the thick clouds.

One, two, three more of the beams shot up, slamming into the Observatory before vanishing. A fourth came, this one much more powerful. It tore through all the floor and stayed, growing larger and larger, eating away more of the Celestrian's precious home.

Millie took her arm away from in front of her eyes to stare at the light. Apus Major was clinging to a root with his cane, which was quite difficult with all the shaking. It was like there was an earthquake going on, which was impossible since the Observatory wasn't even attached to the earth.

"Wh-What is the meaning of this?" he cried. He and Aquila both looked down with fear in their eyes.

"Were we... deceived?" they asked in unison. Millie could barely hear them over the intense wind, but she still heard them all the same. What they said scared her.

The shaking suddenly took a turn for the worst. Millie felt like her mind was getting scattered by it. She let out a whimper as she began to lose her grip. Aquila heard his apprentice let out another cry and looked at her, just in time to see her lose her grip on the roots of the Great Tree.

"No, Millie!" Aquila shouted, reaching for her as she was thrown past him.

She was already too far.

The jet of light multiplied in intensity, completely enveloping the entire Observatory. Aquila could hear his apprentice scream as she was ripped away. The light reached an explosive level, flinging Millie and all the fyggs down to the Protectorate.

The light faded after just a few seconds. Apus Major pulled himself up and looked around. He felt pain all over his body, probably a reaction from the attack. He had been low to the ground and was next to Yggdrasil, so he had been protected from the worst of it. He looked over, seeing Aquila on his hands and knees next to him.

But Millie was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Millie?" Apus Major asked. Aquila said nothing. He was just looking at his hand before punching the ground. Apus Major felt a jolt of horror go through him. He remembered the scream that he heard...

"Aquila!" a voice shouted. It was Columba, and Olivia was with her. They ran up the steps. Columba knelt beside her friend. "Are you alright? What happened?" She looked around, just like Apus Major had. "Where's Millie?"

The bald Celestrian just shook his head.

"Mistress Columba!" Olivia exclaimed as Apus Major fell to the ground. He was shaking with pain. Columba jumped as Aquila collapsed against her, coughing up blood.

"Aquila!" she exclaimed, turning him over in the grass. She was always very worried whenever Aquila got hurt.

"Apus Major, Mistress Columba!" another voice shouted. Columba looked up. It was Phoenix, who was supporting his injured apprentice. He let go of Ankaa and hurried over to where Apus Major lay. Ankaa just stood there and looked around.

"Where's Millie?"

* * *

**Chapter done!**

**Yay!**


	4. Chapter 4

New Chapter!

Yay!

Enjoy!

* * *

Millie sighed as she stared up at the tall statue in front of her. It showed a cloaked figure with wings. At its feet was a large slab of stone, which had the words "Millie, Guardian of Angel Falls". It was nice and all, but it looked nothing like her. According to Erin, there was at least one of these in each and every village, no matter how small.

It really looked nothing like her.

"Oi! What are you doing over there day dreaming?" a voice said behind her. She could hear a pair of footsteps approaching her. It was Ivor and his friend... Hutch? Hank?

Whoever he was, he had weird hair.

"I don't even know why Erinn is bothering with her," Ivor continued. "She won't say where she's from, her clothes are weird... I really wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her."

"I bet Erinn is only housing her because she has the same name as the Guardian," Hugo said with a snap.

"That's probably not even her real name," Ivor said with a scoff. "I'm guessing that she's just some wandering minstrel who took on the name for a free lunch." Millie glared at him with her gold eyes. She would like to explain herself and set the record straight, but she had no proof.

"Well, just listen here!" Ivor shouted. "I won't take any funny business from you! Got that?"

"Yeah! Ivor doesn't like you," Hugo said, stating the obvious. "Especially since Erinn is giving you all her attention." Millie let out a laugh as Ivor turned red. He turned on Hugo so fast he nearly fell.

"Shut up! Why would you say that?" Ivor yelled.

"Because it's obvious," Millie muttered, just loud enough for Hugo to hear. He cracked a smile.

"Uh-oh," Ivor said as Erinn came up the steps. If she had heard anything, she wasn't letting on.

"What are you two doing?" she said, sounding furious. She didn't raise her voice, though.

"Hey, Erinn!" Ivor said, turning a darker shade of scarlet. "Uh, we weren't doing anything! Just telling Millie here about a couple of the rules in our town!"

Erinn gave him a hard look before turning to Millie with a raised eyebrow. She gave the purple-haired girl a thumbs up.

"We were just leaving anyway," Ivor said, grabbing Hugo and dragging him along. "Bye!"he shouted over his shoulder. Millie waved to Hugo, who tried to wave back while escaping the accidental headlock that he was now trapped in. Erinn sighed as she watched them go.

"Ivor has been acting so full of himself. He was never like that when he was younger," she said quietly to herself.

"Maybe it's a phase?" Millie suggested. Erinn just shook her head.

"Anyway, I'm glad to see that you're walking around," Erinn said with a bright smile that was just a little fake. "That must mean you're feeling better."

"Much, much better," Millie agreed with a nod.

"This spot reminds me of when I first found you," Erinn said. "I was so surprised. You must have fallen from the top of the waterfall during the earthquake. It's a fifteen meter drop at least."

"It was a little higher than that," Millie muttered. More like a lot higher.

"Either way, it's a lucky thing that you survived. You were on the rocks there for a little while, literally," Erinn said. She was right. Millie had hit the water and continued right to the bottom, getting a few scratches from the rocky river bed. She ended up on the beach that lined the river.

"Anyway, I'm going home. There's not much else to do at the inn," Erinn said, turning away. "Try not to over do your walk. Make sure to come to the house soon."

"Don't worry about me!" Millie said with a smile, watching her friend walk away. _What a nice girl_, Millie thought. No wonder she had provided so much benevolence, especially with such a pure heart.

"Dinner will take a little while!" Erinn shouted over to her from the house. "Try walking around town for a little longer! Talk to some people!"

"Alright!" Millie replied. _Where to go first...?_ she wondered. There was a pair of women talking by the well. They seemed nice enough. As she walked closer, she could make out their conversation.

"First the earthquake, then all the monsters, and now the pass is blocked!" the first woman exclaimed. She was short and stout with a soft, pretty face. The woman next to her looked much different. She was tall and haughty with the face of a crow. She just looked angry.

"It's terrible, isn't it? I bet it's because of that girl Erinn took in," she muttered. "What was her name? Millie, or whatever? I bet she's the one who brought all this misfortune." She looked ready to go on, but she caught sight of Millie. "Oh my goodness!" she said with a nervous laugh. Millie just looked at her and continued walking, this time away from them. The pudgy woman smiled apologetically.

Millie hurried down the steps, only to be stopped by a little boy who looked like a younger copy of Hugo.

"You wear weird clothes," he said bluntly.

"Thank you?" It came out more as a question.

"Are you a minstrel?" he asked. "That's what everyone's saying."

"What do you think I am?" Millie asked him.

"I think you're a girl," he said, looking at her, "and my brother says you're nice."

"Then I guess I'm just a nice girl," Millie said. "Are you okay with that?" The boy stared at her a little longer before nodding. Before he could say anything else, the short lady from the well yelled at him. He waved and scampered off.

And Millie kept walking. She crossed the bridge and saw a young nun outside the church, sweeping away some of the dirt. She paused and looked up, smiling when she saw Millie.

"Ah! You're the one Erinn is caring for at the moment, aren't you?" the nun asked. Millie nodded. "Oh, come here, my child. Let me take a look at you." Millie obeyed and approached the nun. She look at her carefully. "It's a miracle that you weren't badly injured in that fall. To think you came out of there with only a few cuts and bruises."

Millie smiled and was about to walk away when the nun spoke again.

"Truly, you must have a Guardian watching over you," she said earnestly.

"Something like that," Millie said with a sad smile. The nun smiled and patted her back before returning to her sweeping.

Millie walked past her and towards the mayor's house. A woman with curly red hair under a red bandana was pacing in front of the house.

"Erinn is so worried about the inn," she murmured, still going back and forth. She spotted Millie and looked at her with reserved coldness. "She's been very kind to you. You better help her out, too."

"Of course!" Millie exclaimed. The woman gave her a hard look before resuming her pacing. Millie just continued into the mayor's house. It was only logical that she introduce herself to the leader of the town.

The second she stepped in, she was bombarded with shouting.

"Isn't it about time that you stop flaffing about the place and actually find yourself a job?" one voice shouted. It took Millie a second to realize that it wasn't her getting yelled at. "You should really take a page out of Erinn's book! That girl works so hard on that inn of hers!"

"What does she have to do with it?" another voice yelled. Millie peeked around the corner and spied Ivor in an argument with a balding man, probably his dad. "Besides, I'm looking for something that I'm interested in."

"Oh, really?" his dad asked.

"Yeah! And once I figure out what it is, I'll work my butt off," he declared, pausing before adding, "probably." Ivor's dad looked ready to explode, so Millie decided to interrupt.

"Hello?" she called out, stepping into the doorway. Both men spun around and looked at her. Ivor's dad composed himself first.

"You must be that minstrel that Erinn took in." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, sir," Millie said. The 'sir' seemed to make him stand up a little more.

"Well, good. I'm Mayor Litlun and _this,_" he turned to Ivor, "is my son-"

"Ivor," Millie interrupted. "Yes, we've met already."

"Oh really?" Mayor Litlun said. "Well, if you're all healed up then I suggest you find yourself some job instead of just flaffing around."

"Of course, sir," Millie said with a smile. "It's just that, in a small village like this, there are not many established opportunities."

The mayor grunted before getting up. He turned to Ivor. "We'll finish this later," he said before walking out of the room.

"Nice guy," Millie muttered as the door slammed.

"What are you doing here?" Ivor demanded. Millie raised an eyebrow, making Ivor sigh. "I didn't want anyone to see that."

"I can see why," Millie said. He glared at her.

"Just don't tell Erinn, got it?" he yelled. Millie looked at him. "I mean, please don't tell her!"

"I've got no reason to," Millie said with a shrug. She jumped as she heard a high-pitched giggle. A little girl with long brown hair looked at Ivor with a devilish smile.

"But I do!" she sang.

"Oh, no you don't!" Ivor yelled, getting to his feet and chasing after her. "You are the worst sister!" he yelled. Millie took the sudden sibling battle as her hint to leave. She skipped out the door and down the dirt path.

"Excuse me!" a voice called. "Nice girl?" Millie stopped and turned around. There was the little kid that she was talking to earlier.

"Yes?" she inquired, walking up to him.

"Do you have a sword?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I lost it when I fell," she said bitterly. That had been a gift from her Master.

"I think Daddy found it," he said. "He sent me to ask you."

"Can you take me to him?" Millie asked excitedly. The little boy nodded and scampered into the house next to the docks. Millie followed him, pushing open the door.

"Daddy! She's here!" the little boy yelled unnecessarily.

"I can see that!" he scolded.

"Hello!" Millie greeted quietly. "A little birdie says you may have found my sword."

"Well, maybe," the man said.

"May I see it?" Millie asked.

"You need to prove that it's your sword first," the man said, taking a seat on a stool. "What does it look like?"

Millie plopped down into the chair next to him and dove into her explanation. "Well, it's bronze. All the way. Crafted out of one solid piece. It should have some metal wrapped around it's base. It acts a bit like a scabbard. Sort of. It should have a wing and a halo engraved on the bottom of the pommel."

The man nodded and smiled. "Hugo! Bring the sword!" he shouted.

"Hugo?" Millie questioned.

"Yeah. I'm his dad," the man answered. "Nice to meet you. The name's Hank, and the tiny one there is Hutch."

"Seems like I'm meeting everyone's dad," Millie muttered. "Except Erinn's."

Hank gave her a sad look. "That'd be Edwinn. I used to be a good friend of his. He's not with us anymore, unfortunately."

"That's terrible," Millie said, shocked. "What about her mother?"

"Hm? Oh, the poor thing was so fragile. She died when Erinn was young in Stornway. Then Edwinn packed up and moved here, to Angel Falls," Hank said.

"Poor Erinn," Millie muttered.

"What about you?" Hugo's voice said as he came down a ladder that led to the second story of the house.

"What about me?" Millie asked.

"I think he means your family," Hank said.

Millie pursed her lips and tilted her head from side to side. "Never really knew them," she said with a shrug. "It didn't really matter, though."

"What do you mean?" Hugo asked.

"My people don't really do that," Millie said, the word 'people' tasting weird on her tongue. "We're born, and then our elder leader takes care of us until we're deemed old enough to get a mentor." It wasn't a lie. Except the whole people part. And the part where she said born. She wasn't quite sure how that worked. She certainly wasn't going to ask Aquila. That was not a talk that she was prepared for.

"That's an interesting way of doing things," Hank admitted.

"It's weird!" Hutch exclaimed from under the table.

"Maybe it's you who is weird," Millie said, looking under the table at the little boy. He smiled and giggled before running away.

"He's pretty weird," Hugo said, finally setting the sword down on the table. Millie felt an enormous smile overcome her as she picked up the sword.

"Thank you for returning this," she said earnestly. She slung it over she shoulder, onto her back, hanging exactly where it should be. She glanced at the rapidly darkening sky. "I should probably go," she said, heading for the door.

"Of course! We'll be seeing you then!" Hank said as Millie disappeared out the door with a quick wave. She hurried back to Erinn's house.

"Hey Millie!" she greeted as the door creaked open. "I'm glad you're back! You look like you got quite a bit of exercise."

"Yeah, I met a lot of people," Millie said. "And Hugo's dad found my sword!"

"It seems like you've had quite a bit of excitement," Erinn's grandfather said.

"You seem tired," Erinn said. "How about you set the table so we can eat. Then you can pop right on to bed! Sound good?"

"Definitely," Millie said, getting out three bowls. "It smells great Erinn."

"That's probably the fish in it," Erinn said. "Go take a seat. It'll be a second longer." Millie sat in the stool across from Erinn's grandfather. He eyed her from behind the candle, his beard hiding any emotions. Millie was frankly surprised that anyone could have that much hair. Aquila would be jealous.

"May I?" Erinn's grandfather asked, holding his hand out. It took Millie a second to realize he wanted to see the sword.

"Of course," she said, pulling it off her back and handing it to him.

"Very nice," he said, turning it over in his hands. "I've never seen craftsmanship quite like this."

"My people are very unique in their ways of forging," Millie said. "I don't even know how it's done."

"Whoever gave this to you?" he asked, swinging it experimentally.

"My Master did," Millie said with a small pang. The old man caught on to it easily.

"Did something happen to your master?" he asked.

"Well, we got separated," Millie said. "I'm not sure if I'll see any of them again."

"Grandpa! Put that sword down and stop making Millie so sad!" Erinn scolded as she set down a large pot of soup. "There's plenty here, so make sure you help yourself, Millie."

Millie took her sword back and picked up a spoon to dig into her soup. It was phenomenal. So phenomenal, in fact, that they barely spoke through the meal. Once they had all finished, Erinn's grandfather took the bowls and washed up while Erinn and Millie disappeared upstairs.

* * *

Chapter done!

Yay!

Thanks,

~CatKkit.


End file.
